Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke, c. 1921.

Courtesy of the Frank Driggs Collection.

 

“Royal Garden Blues ”

Bix Beiderbecke

1924

Cornetist Bix Beiderbecke’s recording career lasted less than seven years. But the understated eloquence of his solos and the brilliance of his tone brought a new kind of quiet lyricism to jazz and helped convince a generation of eager young white musicians that they, too, could make a contribution to this American music.